International Fan Festival (IFF) is the biggest anime event in Canada which celebrates anime and Japanese culture. This year, IFF made its way to the birthplace of anime- Japan! International Fan Festival Osaka 2018 (IFF Osaka) took place At Grand Cube Osaka (Osaka International Convention Center) on 6 & 7 October 2018.

The festival provides participants with opportunities to get close to their heroes in anime, music, comics, games and novels as well as to voice actors. The star-studded guest list this year included voice actors who are popular in and out of Japan: Tomokazu Seki, Katsuyuki Konishi, Kana Ueda, Shizuka Ito, Ayako Kawasumi, Ami Koshimizu, Mikako Takahashi, and Fumie Mizusawa.

The festival also offered various events which anime fans could actively participate in over the two days, including ‘Photo Sessions’ where fans could take group photos with voice actors, ‘Live Recordings’ where sound directors and voice actors demonstrate recording in sync with animation, and ‘Q&A Talk Show’ where guests answer fans’ questions sent to the website or collected at the venue.

To celebrate the launch of IFF in Japan, our friends over at Anime! Anime! conducted an email interview series with the guest voice actors prior to the event.

In the first installment, Kana Ueda and Ayako Kawashumi talk about the differences between fans in Japan and overseas and popular characters abroad as well as their enthusiasm for the festival.

Kana Ueda Interview

’IFF Osaka’ is planned by a Canadian company and is the first reverse-imported anime event in Japan. Are you interested in anime events from around the world? Also, could you share with us your enthusiasm for taking part in an anime event with new concept like IFF Osaka?

I’m interested in how Japanese anime fans will respond to this foreign-style festival.

The festival offers visitors a new experience. They can get close to the guests as well. I understood IFF Osaka is special and different from the existing anime events. I hope for visitors to enjoy these differences!

You have taken part in overseas anime events before. What did you think of the enthusiasm of the fans there? Do you also think there are many differences between anime fans in and out of Japan?

Fans abroad show massive respect to anime culture and the voice acting job. I’m grateful for the opportunities I’m given to feel their enthusiasm directly.

A live recording event is taking place at IFF Osaka. You’ve participated in a similar event before. How was the response of the fans at the venue? Additionally, Live recording has become popular overseas as they can watch voice actors perform live. Are there any differences in fans’ reactions between Japan and abroad?

Fans in Japan might have watched recording scenes somewhere. To be honest, they aren’t real. The voice actor in such videos often wears headphones and performs the role alone. That never happens at an actual recording.

Recording is quite complicated in fact. For example, we must consider ‘microphone works’: the techniques and rules to share a couple of microphones in a studio among many voice actors. I’d like to show what actual recording is like at the festival.

You are well known as the voice of Rin Tosaka in the Fate series. Do you know how the series and the character are received outside Japan?

Rin is one of my representative roles and really popular among overseas fans. They often ask me to include her name at autograph sessions. Her fans often use ‘Master xx’ for their pseudonyms as well!

Please give your message to your fans who are eagerly waiting the festival.

Some fans might be confused at first as the communication style abroad is quite different from the Japanese one. However, it’ll be great fun, so please feel free to join the festival.